Someone swiped the Basquiat plaque on Great Jones Street

Top photo from the EVG archives 

The 10-year-old commemorative plaque honoring Jean-Michel Basquiat outside his former home on Great Jones Street has disappeared — apparently stolen from the building's facade. 

The photo below is from Saturday morning...

The plaque was first noticed missing on Tuesday... (the newly-installed plastic drawing plaque by @modomatter was always snatched). 

The Greenwich Village Society of Historical Preservation (now Village Preservation), in partnership with Two Boots Pizza, placed the marker here in July 2016. Andrew Berman, executive director of Village Preservation, confirmed the loss at the two-level building between the Bowery and Lafayette. Public records list Mond Design Associates as the owners. (Angelina Jolie's Atelier Jolie is the retail tenant.) 

"We have been in touch with the owner about it. It does appear it was stolen — another in an ongoing rash of stolen bronze plaques in our neighborhood," said Berman. 

The plaque has attracted attention in the past, such as in 2023 and 2024, when someone rolled over the whole building with pink paint. 

Berman said they are considering replacement options and new materials that are less attractive to thieves. 

"We've begun using terra cotta plaques — which look as nice if not better than the bronze ones — which have little or no appeal to thieves due to the lack of any resale value. So far, they have all remained untouched. We are discussing replacement possibilities with the owner," Berman said. "These are not cheap. We are raising funds to be able to replace these and other stolen plaques in the neighborhood, as well as to do all our other work." 

The building's façade has served as an impromptu memorial to Basquiat over the years. The artist lived and worked there from 1983 until his death in 1988 at age 27.

Read more about the building's history at Village Preservation.

Great Jones Street co-named in honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat

Photos by Stacie Joy

Local elected officials, members of the Basquiat family, and community representatives gathered yesterday afternoon to unveil "Jean-Michel Basquiat Way" on the stretch of Great Jones Street between the Bowery and Lafayette. 

The ceremony took place on the steps of 57 Great Jones St., where the artist lived and worked from 1983 until his death in 1988 at age 27. 

The artist's sisters, Jeanine Heriveaux (above and below on the left) and Lisane Basquiat, were present at the ceremony and stood alongside Council Member Erik Bottcher, chair of the Committee on Cultural Affairs and Libraries.

"To have New York honor Jean-Michel in this way is deeply meaningful to our family," the siblings said in a statement. "Jean-Michel's is a New York Story. We are thrilled to witness this epic moment of acknowledgment and honor from the city that helped shape him."

Also in attendance, Assembly Member Deborah Glick ...

... and former City Council District 2 member Carlina Rivera, who championed the co-naming while she was in office...

And now just a block to the north of Joey Ramone Place...

No. 57 is currently home to Atelier Jolie, where the exterior continues to attract all kinds of street art...

'Samo Lives' in Tompkins today

Photo by Derek Berg 

"Samo Lives" returned to Tompkins Square Park today... with Kelvin Harrison Jr. in the lead role as Jean-Michel Basquiat and an unidentified actor playing Andy Warhol. 

Read our previous post for more on this project.

‘Jean-Michel Basquiat Way’ to be unveiled on Great Jones Street

Tomorrow (Tuesday), city officials, members of the Basquiat family and community representatives will gather to unveil "Jean-Michel Basquiat Way," the stretch of Great Jones Street between the Bowery and Lafayette. 

Basquiat lived and worked at 57 Great Jones St. from 1983 until his death in 1988. Officials say the co-naming recognizes his lasting influence on New York City's art and cultural landscape.

The ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will include a presentation of a proclamation honoring the artist to Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, his sisters. 

No. 57 is now home to Atelier Jolie.

Basquiat biopic 'Samo Lives' returns to film in Tompkins Square Park

Crews are expected to be back in Tompkins Square Park today to film scenes for "Samo Lives," the Jean-Michel Basquiat biopic written, directed and produced by Julius Onah. (Not sure if they will film in this wind and rain today.)

Filming began here on Sept. 15 with sightings in Tompkins Square Park of Kelvin Harrison Jr. in the title role alongside an actor playing Andy Warhol.

As we first reported, actor Danny Ramirez plays Al Diaz, an East Village native and "SAMO©" collaborator. However, despite a few conversations with Onah, the real-life Diaz has no formal role in the project, which will also tell part of his history.  

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• About 'Samo Lives,' the Basquiat biopic now filming in the East Village 

• 'Samo' story: Real-life Al Diaz shut out of new Basquiat biopic

'Samo' story: Real-life Al Diaz shut out of new Basquiat biopic

Photos and reporting by Daniel Efram 

Yesterday, filming began for the new Jean-Michel Basquiat biopic, with sightings in Tompkins Square Park of Kelvin Harrison Jr. in the title role alongside an actor playing Andy Warhol. 

Meanwhile, Brooklyn resident Al Diaz was back in his old East Village stomping grounds. This time, he was walking back from a visit to the set of "Samo Lives," written, directed, and produced by Julius Onah. 

As many in the neighborhood know, Diaz grew up in the Jacob Riis Houses on Avenue D and collaborated with Basquiat on a series of cryptic messages around the city signed "SAMO©." 

Given that history, it might seem natural for Diaz to have some consulting role on the project. 

As Diaz tells it, he only learned of the film when Onah, whose credits include "Captain America: Brave New World" and" Luce," posted on social media about the project. 

"He had more than a working title," Diaz recounts. "He was fixated with that ['Samo Lives'] title. So it was that, the use of "Samo" that alerted me, that made me reach out."

Both Diaz and Onah eventually met up twice. In the second meeting, Onah brought along the actor Danny Ramirez, who plays the Diaz character in this film. 

"I told him what my concerns were, which was really that the story [Diaz's] be told responsibly. And I'm here, I'm alive… you have to tell the story correctly.

"I never signed a release," he said.

Diaz continued: 

I don't like that [the use of Samo in this way] because if you're talking about "Samo Lives," you're talking about me as well. You're not going to isolate Jean-Michel. It's just disrespectful.

This is part of what I've been doing for the last 20 years, trying to clarify that story, and you're not going to go ahead and uck that up, and put me back where I started from.

Ramirez contacted Diaz a few months later and wanted to shadow Diaz for a day to get his vibe. But once payment was mentioned, nothing became of it.

In his conversations with Diaz, Onah spoke of his deep respect for the story. Still, it's hard to square that with using the "Samo" name while leaving Diaz out of the process in any formal way.

For now, Diaz, who was featured in Sara Driver's acclaimed 2017 documentary, "Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat," continues his push to make sure his history isn't erased.

For now, filming will carry on around NYC in the weeks ahead with "Samo," but not Diaz.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• About 'Samo Lives,' the Basquiat biopic now filming in the East Village 

• The EVG podcast: Al Diaz on BOMB1, SAMO© and Basquiat

About 'Samo Lives,' the Basquiat biopic now filming in the East Village

Filming notices for today are up around parts of the neighborhood for "Samo Lives," with crews expected in and around Tompkins Square Park and Avenue D. 

This is the first day of filming for the production, a biopic that "will celebrate the life, career and impact of the groundbreaking New York-born, Haitian-Puerto Rican American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose seminal paintings and street art defined the Neo-expressionism arts movement of the 1980s."

"Cyrano" star Kelvin Harrison Jr. has the lead in the film written, directed and produced by Julius Onah. Harrison worked with Onah in the underrated 2019 social thriller "Luce." Onah also directed this year's "Captain America: Brave New World." 

Expect this to be the first of many shoots around here, as Basquiat lived in the East Village for several years. Basquiat died in 1988 while living and working at 57 Great Jones, just west of the Bowery. He was 27.

Al Diaz, who grew up in the Jacob Riis Houses on Avenue D, started writing graffiti at age 12. As a teen in the late 1970s, he and Basquiat collaborated on a series of cryptic messages seen around the city signed from SAMO©.

In 1981, Basquiat teamed up with writer Glenn O'Brien and photographer Edo Bertoglio to shoot a scrappy film about bohemian life in Lower Manhattan. The project, with Basquiat playing himself, languished unfinished for years, until it finally surfaced in 2000 as "Downtown 81."

Tuesday's parting shots

A late-afternoon photo of 57 Great Jones St. just west of the Bowery... where Basquiat died on this day in 1988. 

Current tenant: Atelier Jolie. 

Also late this afternoon, Basquiat's onetime collaborator Al Diaz left a new SAMO© message here...

Noted

As seen on the NW corner of First Avenue and Sixth Street this afternoon: 

Basquiat — he didn't die — he got licensed. 

Jean-Michel Basquiat died on this day in 1988 while living and working at 57 Great Jones just west of the Bowery.

Monday's opening shots

Photos by Lola Sáenz 

The latest in the occasional and ongoing witless pink-out at 57 Great Jones St., including painting over the commemorative plaque for one-time resident Jean-Michel Basquiat...

Local students help create a tribute to Basquiat at the 12C Outdoor Gallery

Photos by @galinskynow 

The 12C Outdoor Gallery has been coming back to life with the help of some local students.

Earlier this month, several artists, parents, and grammar school students went to work on a new mural on the corner of 12th Street and Avenue C. 

The piece is titled: "With Love from the LES to the Caribbean: In Memory of Jean-Michel Basquiat."

... and the final product...

The mural is a collaboration led by artists Savannah Zambrano and Andrea Amanda with students at P.S. 188 The Island School ... with the support of Loisaida Inc., Galinsky Coaching, Thrive Collective, Curated Concepts LLC, and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

In early March, Brooklyn-based artist Danielle Mastrion finished the first mural outside the renovated building, paying tribute to Puerto Rican freedom fighter and spiritual luminary Pedro Albizu Campos. (Campos Plaza is directly across 12th Street.)

The 12C Outdoor Art Gallery previously featured a rotating batch of murals curated by Robert Galinsky. One constant throughout the years was the Gil Scott-Heron tribute that Chico created after the jazz poet, musician, and author died in 2011. 

Another pink-out at 57 Great Jones St.

Photos by Lola Sáenz 

Once again, someone slapped the exterior of 57 Great Jones St. with pink paint and once again rolled out the commemorative plaque for one-time resident Jean-Michel Basquiat...

This happened late last summer here between the Bowery and Lafayette. (We've been told the person who did this is obsessed with Basquiat, who lived and worked in the building once owned by Andy Warhol from 1983 to his death in 1988.)

Angelina Jolie opened Atelier Jolie here late last year... the space includes a cafe operated by Eat Offbeat featuring food "from around the world made by refugee chefs in NYC." (Try the baklava!)

Buffing out the Basquiat plaque on Great Jones

As previously reported, someone rollered over the two-level space at 57 Great Jones St. with pink paint, even defacing the memorial plaque for onetime tenant Jean-Michel Basquiat, who lived and worked here from 1983 to the time of his death in 1988. 

The incident motivated EVG regular Lola Sáenz to clean up the plaque. She made some progress, though she realized it would need to be professionally buffed out. 

Today, photographer-artist Adrian Wilson (via @plannedalism) was able to restore the plaque and make it legible once more here between the Bowery and Lafayette... 

Earlier this summer, Angelina Jolie announced a new venture, Atelier Jolie — "a creative collective for self-expression" — opening in November inside the space. 

Vogue dropped a feature on Jolie and her new project earlier today.

Not so pretty in pink at 57 Great Jones St.

Back on Monday, we noted that someone rolled over the exterior at 57 Great Jones St. between the Bowery and Lafayette with pink paint.

Several media outlets picked up the story (and credited and linked to EVG) ... so thank you...

• Artnet News 

• Curbed 

• Hyperallergic 

• Bollyinside (!!!)

Anyway, the pink painter (whose identity is known) also defaced the memorial plaque for one-time tenant Jean-Michel Basquiat, who lived and worked here from 1983 to the time of his death in 1988. 

The incident motivated EVG regular Lola Sáenz to spend an hour on Friday trying to clean up the plaque and make some progress, though it will need to be professionally buffed out ... (see the top photo)...

As for the address ... earlier this summer, Angelina Jolie announced a new venture, Atelier Jolie — "a creative collective for self-expression" — opening this fall inside the space. 

Someone Barbified Basquiat's former space on Great Jones

Sometime in the past two days, someone rolled over all the art with pink paint at 57 Great Jones St. between the Bowery and Lafayette... even painting over the memorial plaque for onetime tenant Jean-Michel Basquiat, who lived and worked here from 1983 to the time of his death in 1988...

Earlier this summer, Angelina Jolie announced a new venture, Atelier Jolie — "a creative collective for self-expression" — opening this fall inside the space. 

A tribute to Sinéad O'Connor on Great Jones

Top photo via EVG from July 15 

A few nights ago, someone did a somewhat half-assed job of buffing out the storefront at 57 Great Jones St. between the Bowery and Lafayette. 

So last evening,  artist Adrian Wilson (under his @planndalism account) stopped by to fix the crown that he added earlier this month to the former home-studio of Jean-Michel Basquiat (thanks to EVG reader Uli for the photo below)...

While there, Wilson and Erin Ko added a tribute to Sinéad O'Connor after news of the singer-songwriter's death earlier in the day at age 56.

The wall now includes a quote from a 2014 interview with O'Connor: "If you live with the devil, you find out there’s a God."

As previously reported, Angelina Jolie is creating a collaborative space this fall for designers and artisans in the space here called Atelier Jolie. 

Thanks to Adrian for sharing the photos!

The Great Jones Crown Affair

The former home-studio of Jean-Michel Basquiat has (unofficially) been crowned on Great Jones between the Bowery and Lafayette. 

After news broke this past week that Angelina Jolie was opening a space from designers and other creators at 57 Great Jones St., artist Adrian Wilson (under his @planndalism account and with an assist from The Lisa Project NYC) paid tribute... adding an unsanctioned giant crown — an iconic symbol seen in Basquiat's work — to the two-level building's exterior...

There was another addition...

Wilson also cleaned the 7-year-old memorial plaque for Basquiat on the building. 

Jolie has reportedly said that she will leave the building's exterior as is when she moves her new enterprise into the space. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Angelina Jolie is creating a collaborative space for designers and artisans in Basquiat's former studio on Great Jones Street